Daniel pyzel



Jan. 22,11929. 1,699,989

D. PYzl-:L

PROCESS OF UTILIZING GARBONACEOUS MATERIAL Filed Aug. 25. 1920 F/'ae Gas Tvgh Chuie Patented 22, `1929.

4UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-ICE.

vILANIEL PYZEL, 0'/0AKLAND, CALIFORNIA., ASSIGN'OR TO SIMPLEX BEFINING COM- PANY, 0F SAN FRANCISCO, CALH'OBNIA, A CORPORATION 0F CALIFORNIA.

iPROCESSOF UTILIZING CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL.

Application filed August 25, 1920. Serial No. 406,012.

cannot be successfully pumped except at very high temperatures and that when transported in tank cars, it requires the use of steam to remove it from the ears.

The principal object of my invention isto provide a process by which such relatively low priced asphalt or other heavy oils and tars may be converted into more valuable product-s. This is accomplished by a treatment of the asphalt for the purpose of removing the lighter oils therefrom followed by a phalt for the purpose of producing water` gas". Further objects and advantages will be madeevident hereinafter.

lustrative `purposes only, l

Fig. 1 is a cross section thru a form of apparatus adapted to carry on my process.

Fig. 2 isa section jon a plane represented by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. l,

Fig. 3 is a ("liagrammatie representation of a complete plant. i

The apparatus used may conveniently consist of a'special form of furnace 11, a condenser 12 and a gasometer 13 as shown in Fig. 3. The heavy oil or asphalt is delivered to the furnace thru a pipe 14. Oil is recovered from the condenser thru a pipe 15 and the fixed gases are delivered and stored in the gasometer 13 until such a time as it may be desired to Autilize same.

The furnace 11 consists of a stack 21 having a tight cover 22 with an extension 23 eX- tending upwardly and downwardly therefrom. Oil from the pipe 14 controlled, by a valve 24, is sprayed into the top of the extension 23 which extends down as shown at 25 inside the furnace forming a gas space around the outside of the portion 25. Gases utilization of the heavier portions of the as and vapors are taken away from the space 26 tllru a p1 pe 27 and delivered to the condenser 55 The stack 21 is initially charged with inert non-combustible material 3() which is preferably in the form of pieces of tire brick or mineral matter which will stand high temperatures without material disintegration. This mass 30 of inert material fills the stack with the exception of the space 26 and is free to pass out thru an opening 31 in the bottom of the stack, being then aug `t by the buckets 32 of an elevator and darried upwardly inside a gas tight housing 34 and delivered thru a gas tight chute 35 into the extension 23. Air is supplied to the furnace thru tuvres 40 and this air may be subject to preliminary n v tension-53of the elevatorl casing 34. Referring to the drawlng'whlch isjfor 1l- ,l

comlmston is oncestarted, it is maintained by asphalt in'the combustion zone whose depth is indicated by the dimension line C between lines 60 and 61, the air from the tuyres 40 serving to maintain an incomplete combustion in this combustion zone. The spacey between the line 61 and a line 62 indicated by the dimension line G forms a gas producer zone, and the space between the line 60 and the top oi the mass 30 marked witha dimension line D forms a distillation zone. It should be understood that the process is continuous, that asphalt sprayed thru the pipe 14 falls 100 upon the relatively cool mass 30 in the Zone G, this mass being in constant motion due to the removal of the inert material from the bottom of the stack and its delivery to the top thereof. The heavy asphalt being preferably vsubjected to a preliminary heating tends to run over the individual pieces forming the mass 30 coating them in a thin film. These pieces are of suiicient size to allow gas to rise readily therethrough, this gas being formed in the zones C and G. The hot gases from the zones C and G are thus in intimate contact with the' thin lilm ot' asphalt on the material 30 and a distillation takes )lace therefrom, the Alighter constituents ot Ithe asphalt evaporating from the upper portion of the zone D and the heavier and less volatile portions evaporating from the lower portion of that zone, leaving material having a veryhigh boiling point and containing large masses of carbon in the form of coke or very heavy hydrocarbons. This carbon is partially consumed in the combustionv zone C combining with the air supplied by the tuyres 40 to `form gases of combustion principally carbon dioxide. flhe gases of combustion at a high temperature are depended upon to assist in the distillation in the zone D. The completeness ot' the combustion in the zone C is controlled by controlling the air admitted thru the pipe 40 to such a degree that a condsiderable proportion of the carbon is delivered to the zone Gr in the form of incandescent coke carried on more or less incandescent pieces of inert and non-combustible material. Steam admitted thru the pipe 41 is allowed to rise thru this incandescent material `forming a rich water gas Which passes up thru the zones C and D and assists in the distillation of the material in the zone D. The steam admitted thru the pipe 41 also tends to cool the extreme lower portion of thematerial 30'to a point slightly above the boiling point of water at which temperature it is delivered thru the opening 31 into the bottom of the elevator 33. The buckets 32 pull this material over the curved grate 50, allowing broken particles of the .inert material to fall therethrough as well as small particles of coke and ash. This waste material may be removed by pulling out the slide 51 and the slide 52 after which the slide 5l may be closed and the slide 52 may be opened so that this material may be' removed from the bottom of the elevator 33 without admitting any great quantity of air therethrough.

The gases and vapors passing outwardly thru the pipe 27 contain certain condensible oil vapors and certain fixed gases. The oil vapors are removed by the condenser 12 and delivered to pipe 15 to suitable storage,the fixed gases being delivered thru a pipe to the gasometer 13. By suitable regulation of the,l steam and air and a suitable regulation of the speed of the conveyor 33, it is possible to consume practicall all of the asphalt fed thru the pipe 14. ertain portions of this asphalt'form distillation products which appearlinally at the pipe 15 and certainportions form the fixed gases such as are proallowing the material to drop on mixing bitumens in a closed vertical retort with inert non-combustible material in the form of pleces of mmeral matter which wlll stand high temperatures without material disintegration, said carbonaceous land inert materials forming a porous mass, injecting steam'into the lower part of said mass to generate water gas, injecting air into said mass above the point of steam injection to establish a partial combustion zone, and allowing the gases of combustion to rise to the top of said porous mass to distil volatile matter from said carbonaceous material.

2. The process of treating carbonaceous material, said process comprising: initially mixing alphaltie bitumens in a closed vertical retort with inert non-combustible material in the form of pieces ofmineral matter which will stand high temperatures without material disintegration, said carbonaceous and inert materials forming a porous mass, injecting steam into the lower part of said mass to generate water gas, injecting air into said mass above the point of steam injection to' establish a partial combustion zone, and

allowing the gases of combustion and the water gas to rise to the top of said porous mass to distil volatile matter from said carbonaceous material.

3. lA process as claimed in claim 1, characterized by continuously withdrawing part of said inert material from the bottom portion `A.of the retort.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1, characterized by the continuous removal of part of said inert material from the bottom portion of the retort and its transfer to the top of said retort.

5. A process of distilling and utilizing a heavy hydrocarbon oil whichcomprises injecting sai-d oil into a porous mass of inert and incombustible material, said material remaining substantially unchanged throughoutl the process; moving said mass downwardly to prevent bridging injecting air into said mass to form a partial combustion zone; injecting steam into said mass below said zone to cool said incombustible material and to react with any carbon associated therewith to form water gas; and removing the roducts of distillation and said reaction om the space above said mass.

6. A process of distilling and utilizing a heavy hydrocarbon oil which comprises injecting said oil into a porous mass of inert and incombustible material, said material remaining substantially unchanged throughout the process; removing portions of said mass from the bottom thereof to prevent bridging; returning the portions so removed to the top of said mass; injecting air into said mass to form a partial combustion zone; injecting steam into saidmass below said zone to cool said incombustible material and to react with any carbon associated therewith to form water gas; and removing the products of distillation and said reaction from the space above said mass.

7. A process of distilling and utilizing a heavy hydrocarbon oil which comprises injecting said oil into a porous mass of inert and incombustible material, said material remaining substantially unchanged throughout the process; consisting of pieces of an inert and incombustible substance; moving said mass downwardly to prevent bridging; injecting air into said mass to form a partial combustion zone; injecting steam into said mass below said zone to cool said incombustible material and to react with any carbon associated therewith to form water gas; and removing the products of distillation and said reaction from the space above said mass.

8. A process as in claim 1 in which the carbonaceous material is in the form'of a heavy liquid.

9. A process as in claim 2 in which the carbonaceous material isin the form of a heavy liquid.

l0. T he process of -treating asphalt to produce fixed gas and light oil which comprises: initially mixing asphalt with broken pieces of refractory material vin a closed vertical retort to form a porous mass; injecting steam into the -lower part of said mass tqgenerate water gas; injecting air into said mass above the point of steam injection to establish a.

partial combustion and cracking zone; allowing the products formed 1n sald zone to rise to the top of said -porous mass and to distil volatile material from the asphalt; separating the liquid and gaseous portions of the distillate; and continuously supplying the retort with additional asphalt.'

l1. A process as. claimed. in claim 8, characterized by the continuous removal of part of Y said refractory broken brick from the bottom portion of the retort and its transfer to the top of said retort.

12. A process as claimed in claim 8, characterized by the continuous supply to the top ofv the retort of asphalt in melted condition.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at San' Francisco, California, this 19th day of August, 1920.

DANIEL PYZEL. 

